Clearview council has given The Belmont more space in their temporary Stayner location, but not quite as much as they were hoping for.

Council agreed to relinquish two of three rooms in the building being leased by The Belmont, a temporary home while the independent living facility rebuilds after residents were displaced by a fire early this year.

The council decision was in response to a request from owner Jon Wells who is looking to add beds to the temporary accommodation.

There are 23 residents currently living at the old nursing home off Highway 26. During a Sept. 28 delegation, Wells said there are 34 people on a waitlist and they could house up to 30 residents if they had more space.

The township purchased the building last year with the hope of creating overflow office space and offering space to community organizations and service providers but it was offered up as a temporary home for The Belmont to ensure residents and employees could continue to live and work in Stayner.

“It was the right decision to offer this lifeboat to The Belmont organization and this lifeboat has a few leaks, maybe doesn’t have enough seats, I don’t know, but the point is that it’s working today with the occupancy that it has,” said Mayor Doug Measures.

Following an in camera discussion Monday, Deputy Mayor Paul Van Staveren proposed an amendment to the motion on the agenda, so that Clearview Township could retain one room in the front of the building for an unidentified opportunity, hinting at the need for office space.

“We are bursting at the seams,” said CAO John Ferguson.

He did disclose in open session that the space would not be used by the Clearview-Stayner Food Bank or a Service Ontario office, as was previously hoped. The Clearview Youth Centre, another potential user, has been temporarily relocated to the community centre.

Ferguson said the building is nearing the end of its life and has required renovations. There is a chance it could be torn down once The Belmont is back in their own building in order to make room for a purpose-built facility that

could house administrative offices and affordable housing if an agreement can be reached with the County of Simone.

Robert McArthur and John Broderick voted against the amendment, in favour of offering up all of the extra space.

McArthur questioned the wisdom of relocating staff to a building that would be torn down in a year or so.

Beginning Feb. 1, The Belmont’s lease will be going up to $14,000 per month, which Ferguson said covers the $12,000 mortgage payments and lease hold improvements.

Wells said last month that he hopes to be back in the restored building in one year’s time and that the building is being renovated in such a way to accommodate an addition once water allocation becomes available.

File photo: Residents displaced by the January fire at The Belmont independent living facility in Stayner are temporarily living at a township owned building.